Starbucks Staten Island mug: Discovery Series

By The Starbucks Cups team · Last checked 2026-10-08 · How we make these pages

Starbucks Discovery Series Staten Island mug with a sea turtle, a suspension bridge, a ferry and a lobster around the words STATEN ISLAND — Front view · numbered markers match the list below Show markers

The Staten Island mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the name in pale teal over a dark green circle, with a sea turtle, a suspension bridge, a ferry, a lobster and a fishing pier.

Series: Discovery Series
Place: Staten Island, New York, USA
Type: Mug
Released: Not confirmed
Capacity: 14 fl ozstandard mug size
SKU: Not confirmed

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The bridge name that was refused, then lost a letter

In 1951, John N. LaCorte of the Italian Historical Society of America asked that a bridge planned across the Narrows be named for the navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano. The answer was no ^[1]. When he repeated the request, according to the society's own account, the manager of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority said the name was too long and difficult to spell and pronounce ^[2], and Robert Moses said the bridge would carry it only over his dead body ^[3]. In 1960, Governor Rockefeller signed the bill naming the bridge ^[4]. Then a letter went missing. The construction contract spelled the name with one z, and Gay Talese, who chronicled the building of the bridge, called it a "typo and everybody let it go" ^[5] ^[6]. The second z arrived in October 2018, when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill adding it ^[7]. The suspension bridge at the top left of the Staten Island mug (3) is the one that lost a letter and got it back.

The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.

What's on the mug

1
Lettering
STATEN ISLAND in pale teal capitals on two lines over a dark green circle.
2
Sea turtle
A green turtle with a patterned shell rests on top of the circle.
3
Suspension bridge
A yellow-green suspension bridge spans the top left of the circle.
4
Ferry
A yellow-and-green ferry with a maroon stripe crosses the base of the circle.
5
Lobster
A maroon lobster with a pale claw sits at the left of the lettering.
6
Fishing pier
A wooden pier with a person fishing runs out at the right, beside the handle.
7
Amphitheatre Side view
A domed stage with a crowd of seated figures sits at the left.
8
Hiker with a stick Side view
A person with a braid and a cap strides along holding a long walking stick.
9
Antlered deer Side view
A deer with antlers is drawn below the hiker in teal and purple.
10
Pagoda-style building Side view
A building with a curved, pagoda-like roof stands beside a path at the lower left.
11
Lake with trees Side view
Tall green and purple trees line a pale lake at the upper right.
12
Wine glass Back view
A glass of red wine stands at the upper left of this face.
13
Bowl of spaghetti Back view
A bowl of spaghetti with a fork lifting a twirl sits next to the glass.
14
Subway train Back view
A teal train car is drawn on tracks below the bowl.
15
Yellow cone shape Back view
A yellow cone-shaped hill with a tiny figure on it sits under a funnel-shaped tower.

Together the three photos show most of the outside of the mug; the strip directly opposite the handle may be only partly visible.

Collector notes

The inside of this mug is deep teal, which shows at the rim in the photo.
Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan also have Discovery mugs on our checklists; this one is lettered STATEN ISLAND on two lines.

Before you buy

The inside of this mug is deep teal, which shows at the rim in the photo. Together the three photos show most of the outside, but the strip directly opposite the handle may be only partly visible. We list no other series with a Staten Island mug; the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Manhattan Discovery mugs are separate, and this one is lettered STATEN ISLAND on two lines.